RLW/PAAK: Zur Arbeit (Augsburger Gerberei)

(exhibited at loop 30 – the listening room at the abraxas arts center, Augsburg, Germany, November 2016 to January 2017)

About this release:

For several years now, sound artists RLW and PAAK have been collaborating on concept albums about subjects such as religion, food, and work. Their album “Zur Arbeit I” was released in 2016 on the attenuation circuit label. It uses quasi-industrial sounds, electronics, and voice to make a point about the status of work in the 21st century. After decades of relatively good social security for working people, Europe now experiences a backlash, with an increasing number of working poor and social stigmatization of people who cannot find jobs. In 2016, there was a heated debate in the local media as home-owners in the neighborhood of the abraxas arts center protested against rent-controlled housing (for unemployed people, among others) being built next to their houses. As a statement against this kind of discrimination, the loop30 sound gallery exhibited an excerpt from RLW/PAAK’s album at the center. On the opening night, PAAK did an original live performance on the same subject that utilizes some of the sound sources of the album. Excerpts of this live performance on November 26, 2016 at the abraxas arts center are documented in this release.

http://www.attenuationcircuit.de/releases/21/rlw---paak-zur-arbeit-i

http://www.peterkastner.eu

About the loop30 series on Treetrunk Records:

‘loop30 – the listening room at the abraxas arts centre’ is indebted to the ‘acoustic turn’ towards the practice of hearing/listening. Opened in November 2015, this audio gallery brings the sound of varying audio works to the foyer of the community arts centre in Augsburg, Germany. The offer that ‘loop30’ makes to its visitors is fundamentally different from the muzak forced on visitors of far too many public spaces. ‘loop30’ presents subtle sounds that operate in an intermediate zone between everyday sound and artistically crafted sound. Thus the foyer, itself an intermediate zone through which people move into various other parts of the building such as a visual arts gallery or restaurant, is an ideal space for presenting such work. The installations in the foyer can stimulate the passing visitor as well as offer surprising discoveries to those who take the time to listen more closely. After the exhibitions, the installation soundtracks are made available online on Treetrunk Records.